Adding learning resources: a study of two toddlers' modes and trajectories of participation in early childhood education

Abstract

This study focuses on the nature of children's participation in an Australian early childhood context in which their second language is used. The aim is to create knowledge of toddlers' modes and trajectories of participation. Empirical data documenting the participation of two toddlers were gathered through video observations of everyday activities in the childcare programme across six weeks. The concepts of legitimate peripheral participation and changed participation were used as analytical tools for interpreting the empirical data. Interaction of the toddlers is illustrated through images and transcripts. The analysis show how their participation is carried out through non-verbal communication in silence and movement, and how the toddlers moved, in different ways, towards coordinating activities with other children. The children's trajectories illustrate how they come to participate in different ways and with additional learning resources. How the pedagogical approach acknowledges non-verbal actions and offers multiple modes and trajectories of participation is discussed.